Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier: A Full Head-to-Toe Breakdown
UFC 187 will mark the first time in more than four years that a new light heavyweight champion will be crowned.
Whether it will be Anthony "Rumble" Johnson's powerful striking or Daniel Cormier's wrestling that reigns supreme is up for debate.
As two of the most dedicated athletes in the sport today, their main event matchup Saturday night has the potential to captivate and entrance.
Cormier knows too well what a UFC championship defeat tastes like, having lost to former kingpin Jon Jones back at UFC 182, so the former Olympian will give his best effort ever.
As for Johnson, who has seemingly transcended the division overnight, defeating Cormier would put a cherry on top of his rather admirable return to MMA relevance.
Here is a full head-to-toe breakdown for this 205-pound collision as the fight universe gears up for one of the most stacked events of 2015.
Striking Precision
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Neither Johnson nor Cormier is an overly technical striker.
But when thrown to the wolves and forced to make the right punch at the right time, Rumble is easily the better bet.
Cormier has developed worthwhile jabs and lunging strikes over the past few years, but nothing that can mirror the split-second uppercuts and piercing body shots that Johnson wields.
Saturday night's matchup should also provide evidence that reach reigns supreme, giving Johnson the ability to utilize his size, stay on the outside and launch timely attacks.
DC just doesn't possess the natural movement and fluidity to check the division's elite strikers.
Advantage: Johnson
Punching Power
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Cormier is no slouch.
He's a big boy with big power and an overexposure to UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez that would suggest he can outmuscle anyone at 205.
But when it comes down to raw punching power and finishing ability, Johnson is in a league of his own.
He may be the best knockout specialist in the sport today, one who can dispose of even savviest strikers around (e.g., Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira).
Johnson's slick offense has transformed him into a divisional nightmare, even for a superathlete like Cormier.
However, that doesn't mean that Johnson will knock the former Strikeforce kingpin out.
Did I mention that Cormier trains with Velasquez?
Advantage: Johnson
Wrestling
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This is arguably the most one-sided aspect to this fight, which seems to be the norm when Cormier is involved.
Needless to say, DC is an Olympic entity capable of outwrestling and outpositioning anyone in the division not named Jon Jones.
Now while Johnson boosts strong takedown defense with exceptional athleticism to back up his efforts, he's never faced someone like Cormier.
And if Cormier wants to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion, he'll be looking to bring this fight to the canvas at every possible turn.
It will be up to Johnson to make him pay coming in and utilize dirty clinch work to defend against the cage.
Advantage: Cormier
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Grappling
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It would be a shock to everyone if this championship showdown ended with a submission, especially if it came from Johnson.
As someone who has never recorded a submission victory in his career and has been submitted in three of four professional loses, Rumble is not the first guy who comes to mind when grappling is mentioned.
On the other hand, neither is Cormier.
Sure, his wrestling plays a major role in his ability to secure transitions, gain leverage and put his opponents in uncomfortable positions, but he's not a quintessential canvas connoisseur.
But a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and two career submission victories suggest that DC has the upper hand should this fight turn into a chess match on the ground.
Advantage: Cormier
Intangibles
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It seems like every year a new fighter grabs hold of the MMA community and turns it upside down.
Guys like Alexander Gustafsson, Matt Brown and Conor McGregor are just a few names that come to mind who have encompassed this rapid rise to prominence in recent memory.
Well, Johnson has officially joined the group.
His innate ability to impose his will, overwhelm opponents with his striking power (both with punches and kicks) and pull off the impossible has landed him on a short list of "good guys" in today's sport.
Cormier is going to be his biggest test to date, but Johnson has been nothing short of spectacular since his move to light heavyweight back in 2012.
To suggest that his intangible skill set can't rise to the occasion once again Saturday night would be selling the Blackzilian's accomplishments short.
Advantage: Johnson
Verdict
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It's easy and understandable to pick Johnson to win this fight based on his ridiculous knockout power, but something needs to be said about Cormier's wrestling.
Granted, Jon Jones took him down multiple times at UFC 182, but "Bones" can do that to anybody he encounters.
The underlining reality here is that punching power is usually stifled by superb takedowns, top control and point-by-point ground-and-pound.
Johnson will have his chances to land clean shots to DC's chin, but the Olympian will most likely maintain forward movement.
That equates to a long and strenuous night for Rumble, who has never fought beyond three rounds.
Verdict: Cormier via unanimous decision
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